Masahiro Sugiyama
| image = | race = | birthday = May 27th | gender = Male | height = | weight = | blood type = | affiliation = Gotei 13 Soul Society | occupation = Lieutenant of the 11th Division | previous occupation = | team = Gotei 13 11th Division | previous team = | partner = Noriko Nagasaki | previous partner = | base of operations = Seireitei | relatives = | education = | shikai = Barasen (荊棘線, Barbed Wire) | bankai = Not Yet Achieved. }} Masahiro Sugiyama (杉山正洋, Sugiyama Mashiro) is the Lieutenant of the Gotei 13's 11th Division, serving under Captain Noriko Nagasaki. Initially, he serves as an indirect antagonist to the V-14 in Bleach: The War of Four. He serves as a minor character, appearing on the sidelines of events concerning the Gotei 13. As the series progresses, however, he becomes a more prominent character and a protagonist when the Inner Circle attack on the Soul Society. He, along with Seishuku Yabun and Tamiko Okayama, are left behind and are forced to flee as fugitives when the D.C.O. evacuates surviving personnel. Personality As the Lieutenant of the 11th Division and a veteran of many battles, Masahiro can be described as the embodiment of their protocols. Outside of battle, he is calm, collected, pleasant, and mostly polite towards other people. Like his Captain and Kukkyōna Hayate, he seems to hold a rivalry with 6th Division Lieutenant Seishuku Yabun in their interactions. However, in the midst of combat, he engages and eliminates his enemies with cold ruthlessness. He enjoys the concept of a good fight and will take the chance to invoke one, whether it would involve himself or others. In the face of his enemies, he is remorseless and sadistic. He will use psychological advantages over his opponents as well as physical ones to crush the ones who oppose him, more than willing to push them to the limit. At the same time, however, he stays close to Noriko's authority and only will fight when given the order to do so. Unlike his Captain, who is moderately honor-bound in terms of combat and warfare, Masahiro is extremely pragmatic. He will do anything to ensure an upper hand against his opponents, even if his actions are seen as immoral or unethical. He only allows himself to do this to only those he considers the "worst of villains". However, this does not mean he won't allow innocent civilians to get caught in the crossfire, as he will use even the likes of them if it means destroying his enemies. In short, this can get him into confrontations with even his allies. In extremely stressful situations, this pragmatic behavior has the chances of increasing. He often has to be caught by his Captain before he goes too far with his methods of dealing with his opposition. History In Progress... Synopsis *The War of Four: Courts and Circles *The War of Four: Recovery *The War of Four: Crossing the Wire Powers & Abilities Great Spiritual Energy: Despite being a Lieutenant, Masahiro has a high enough spiritual energy to rival that of a junior Captain. It is enough to resist equal opposing spiritual pressures, though he can still be overwhelmed by more powerful Captain-class opponents. Zanjutsu Master: Because his Zanpakutō's sealed state takes the form of microfilament wire instead of the standard katana, Masahiro's fighting style is much more different than the ones of his colleagues. He is able to manipulate these wires to the style he sees fit, using them for various methods of fighting. He is able to entrap his opponents, cut them into pieces with a simple movement of his fingers, or impale their nervous systems and use their bodies as puppets. Because of his immense skill as well as exclusive method of fighting, it can be safe to say that he is a zanjutsu master. Master Hand-to-Hand Combatant: As a member of the 11th Division, Masahiro excels in the art of barehanded fighting. It is considered to be one of his favorite methods of fighting when used in conjunction with his wire skills, as he can ensnare his opponents for coordinated punches and kicks. In contrast to the style of his Captain, his style is acrobatic and evasive as it is aggressive. Flash Steps Expert: Masahiro has a high proficiency in the use of Shunpo, capable of moving up to high speeds for extended periods of time. However, he is not as quick as masters of the technique. Zanpakutō Barasen (荊棘線, Barbed Wire): The name of Masahiro's Zanpakutō. Unlike other Zanpakutō, its sealed form does not take the appearance of a standard katana. Rather, it has the visage of monomolecular wire merged with his hand. In most situations, it is almost invisible to the naked eye. But whenever it is visibly picked up, it has a blue color to it. *'Shikai:' The release command for Barasen is "Disassemble and Fracture" (分解して骨折, bunkai shite kossetsu). Upon its release, the wires turn completely invisible and the only way to detect them is through warping effects each wire creates when moving. Notably, more wires are created, spawning from other parts of his body. He remarks to it being "extremely painful" when he uses it, and as such minimizes his use of it. **''Shikai Special Ability:'' Because of their invisibility and multitude, Barasen's Shikai form can provide for effective ambushes and surprise attacks on multiple enemies. Rather than just with his fingers, Masahiro can mentally will them to attack specific targets. Because of this, he doesn't have to move his fingers and unintentionally give away the patterns of attack to his enemy. The cutting properties of Barasen increase to the point where rarely any defense can counter it, including energy-based defenses. Its sharpness pales in comparison to the Shikai of Masahiro's Captain, however. *'Bankai:' Not yet achieved. Category:Male Category:Shinigami Category:Lieutenant Category:11th Division (Mangetsu20) Category:Gotei 13 (Mangetsu20) Category:Protagonists Category:Antagonists Trivia In Progress... Quotes In Progress... References Category:Male Category:Shinigami Category:Lieutenant Category:11th Division (Mangetsu20) Category:Gotei 13 (Mangetsu20) Category:Protagonists Category:Antagonists